Rotary brush



arch w, 1929.

L.. c. HEROLD ,706,159

ROTARY BRUSH Filed Oct. 5, 1927 (inventor,

Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES LAWRENCE C. HEROLD, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ROTARY BRUSH.

Application led ctober 3, 1927. Serial No. 223,588.

rIhis invention relates to rotary brushes for cleaning and butiing purposes, and particularly to a rotary wire bristle brush. The embodiment of the invention illustrated 1s similar in some respects to the structure shown in the prior patent to M. X. Gardner, No. 1,059,858, issued April 22nd, 1913, 1n which patent I hold an interest.

Brushes made in substantial accordance with the showing of this patent have been in general use for years. One limitation of the construction is that the side plates which function as bristle supporting members while affording a driving hub, have to be fastened together as by the use of clamping members on the drive shaft, whereas by the use of the present invention I am able to hold a pair of plates together on the brush without additional manufacturing expense, and without such a shaft. A further practical limitation of the prior construction is that When the device is mounted on a shaft, both ends of such shaft protrude beyond the general plane of the bristles. This is, of course, necessary on one end of the brush to provide sucient length of the shaft to drive the brush, but where the brush is used for endwise cleaning, for example, as in cleaning a recess in a large casting, the protruding end opposite-the drive portion interferes with the most eifective use of the brush. This was practically essential in the previous construction in order to provide sufficient hub strength. The necessity for having the shaft protrude from both ends of the brush is overcome by the present construction as will be presently shown while still maintaining suficient hub strength.

A further disadvantage of the previous construction was that the parts had to be machined after being originally formed, whereas the present device which is made of pressed metal needs no machining operations after its original formation by dies, and in addition the present construction affords a much lighter mounting for a given size.

In the former construction the bristle elements are held together by U-shaped clamping members which rest in recesses in the driving discs in order to form an inter-lock between the bristle elements and such driving discs. In the present construction, I provide through openings in the driving discs which not only permits the clamping members to be of any thickness as determined by the length of the brush, but also permits the ends of the clamping members to extend in overlapping relation to the discs on the outside, thereby holding the entire mountin together as a rigid unit Without the use of retaining means, such as clamping nuts on a drive shaft, as was necessary in the previous constructions.

With the above in mind, the general object of the invention may be stated to be the provision of a better as Well as a more simplified rotary brush construction. A further speciic object is to provide a brush construction including side plates for bearing against opposite ends of a gang of annular bristle elements which arrangement will permit the use of simple clips for either binding the bristle elements together without the side plates to be later applied, or for binding the side platesand bristle elements into a self sustaining assembly.

A further object is to provide a brush mounting wherein the bristle element clamping members may vary in thickness as determined by the length of the brush to be supported and which, regardless of such variation, will fit end plates of a single size and form equally well.

Further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description relating to the accompanying drawing. The essential characteristics are summarized in theclaims.

In the drawing, Fie. 1 is an end Biew of the preferred form of brush made in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a substantially central transverse sectional view, as indicated by the line 2 2 on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred form of bristle clamping device; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central cross sectional view of the brush gang assembly, exclusive of the hub members; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modification as to the bristle retaining means.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the brush comprises generally two substantially identical discs indicated at 1 and 2, a series of bristle elements, three in number as shown, designated 3, combination clamp and key members 4, and a drivingv shaft 5, engaging the discs 1 and 2.

The discs 1 and 2 serve primarily as mountings for holding the bristles in proper relation to a driving shaft. The discs are preferably formed of pressed metal with oppositely dished hub portions proper .deslgnated 16, thereby providing spaced bearlng contact with a shaft. The portions 16 are centrally apertured as at 17 to receive such shaft. flhe discs have substantially cylindrical port-ions 18 leading laterally from the hub portions 16, the outer edges of the cylindrical portions being fianged outwardly as at 19, but each flange converging toward the other at the outer edges to form, with the portions 18, an annular channel restricted at the outward edges of the fianges. The outwardly restricted peripheral channel holds the gang of bristle elements with the outer edges of the flanges bearing directly on the bristles and the more enlarged inner portion affording room for the heavier central portions of the bristle elements which will be hereinafter described in detail.

The engagement between the side flanges 19 and the adjacent bristle elements, due to clamping the discs together, is not of itself sufficient to insure against slippage between the brush proper and discs, and the clamp members 4 provide keys between the brlstle elements and the-discs. This key effect is brought out particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, wherein it will be seen that through openings are provided in the flange and cylindrical portions of the members 1 and 2, the openings extending inwardly somewhat along the portions 1G of the discs. The-different portions of these openings are designated 2() as to the flanges 19, 21 as to the cylindrical portions, and 22 as to the outer edge of the portions 16. The base portion 14 of each clamp member (see Fig. 3) lies along the through opening portion 21, bridging from one disc to the other, thus forming a key between the two discs while at least portions of the bent up ends 15 of the clamp members lie in the through opening portions 20 forming a direct key effect between the discs and outermost bristle elements. The outer or peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical portions 18 of the discs preferably fit snugly against the bristle elements throughout their entire extent, except of course, at the openings for the clamp members 4.

Referring particularly to Fig. 4, each bristle element preferably comprises two camparatively heavy strands of wire 1() forming a base, the two strands being twisted together, the ends of the wire being joined as by welding. The bristles 11 may be individual open loops 0f comparatively light wire bound between the twisted base wires, the free ends extending outwardly away from the axis of the base ring. The individual bristle elements solformed are self-sustaining and only one, if properly supported, may form a complete brush. It is desirable in order to make a brush thick enough for many purposes, to

superimpose several of these elements as shown in Fig. 4. Any convenient number of these may form a self-sustaining assembly by binding them together as by the clamping members 4. The clamping portions 15 of these members 4 are bent tightly against the outer sides of the outermost bristle elements, and may either stop short of the bridging portions 19 of the flanges 19, as in Fig. 5, or may be long enough to overlap these bridging portions, and thus clamp the discs together with the bristle elements, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Three of these members 4 have been found sufficient to clamp as high as ten of the bristle elements in the proportions shown. More may be required for a brush of unusually large diameter.

It will be seen that the arrangement described has several advantages, for example, the clamp members 4 may be of any desired gauge, depending on the number of brush elements to be supported, since in the case of a comparatively long brush, say live to ten elements, aheavier clamp member will be needed. This extra gauge is accommodated simply because, in case thicker stock is used, the clamp members 4 simply extend a reater distance beyond the outer surfaces o the discs, and at the center will occupy more of the portions 22 of the throu h openings than would thinner clamp mem ers.

A more striking advantage of the arrangement will be appreciated from a comparison of Figs. 2 4 and 5. Figs. 4 and 5 show the unitary character of the bristle assembly when held by the clips 4 alone. If the ultimate user wishes to he may use a pair of side plates over and over again, simply replacing the worn out brush with a new unit, such as shown in Fig. 4. If, on the other hand, the user finds more economy in having his brushes ready for replacement, as a complete assembly, then by simply making the members 4 long enough to overlap the disc flanges 19 this complete self sustaining assembly may be supplied with practically no additional expense to the manufacturer, and without having to use such means, for example, as a dummy shaft to hold the discs in place. In following out the practice last outlined the discs on the worn out brushes are not wasted, but may be salvaged later, Without having suffered damage in disassembly, and used again.

An additional advantage of the through openings is that if at any time the metal of any one of the members 4 becomes weakened, causing the gripping portions 15 to withdraw from the bristles this maybe readily detected at a glance from an inspection of the outside of the brush, and the defect may be at once remedied either by replacing the clamp members or by repinching the end portions 15 against the brush. The brush does not necesmeente sarily have to be dismantled to eect either replacement or reconditioning of the members 4. y

The preferred form of adapter for attaching the brush to a hand chuck, as in connection with a flexible drive shaft, is shown in Fig.. 2. This is very simple and comprises the shaft 5, which may be cylindrical at 25 and which is threaded at 26. The threaded portion extends through and beyond both discs. The threaded portion immediately adjacent the smooth portion 25 carries a -nut 27 engaging the dise 2, and jammed against the non-threaded portion. This provides in effect a shoulder for the shaft. The outer f end of the shaft carries a clamp nut 28 by which the discs may be drawn forcibly toward each other. The arrangement does away with the necessity for machining a shoulder on the shaft, thereby saving considerable expense bot-h in machining operations and quanti of stock. The expense of the extra nut 2 is negligible in comparison.

It will be noted that with the present arrangement the end of the shaft opposite the driving end is well below the transverse plane v of the bristles at this end, while at the same bers and having their ends extendin in over-V lying relation to the side plates an holding the plates together. y

2. In a rotary brush, a pair of retaining members, a series of annular brush elements retained between the members, said members vhaving' radially spaced through openings in mutual registration, clamping means extending through the openings in both retaining members, and frictionally engaging the side surfaces ofthe elements to prevent relative rotation of the elements and retaining members, said clamping means bein in overlying relation to portions of bot retaining members to hold the members together.

3. A rotary brush support comprising a pair of retaining members, ,a series of brush f elements retained between the two members.

and clamping members extending across said elements from one side of the brush to the other, said clamping members having end portions overlying said retaining members,

and intermediate portions in direct binding engagement with the outermost brush elements.

'5. A rotary brush support comprising a' pair of pressed metal members drawn and flanged to provide an annular peripheral channel, portions of the flanges an'd the channel bottom portions being sheared out to provide through openings, a series of bristle elements having base rings embraced by the channel iianges and seated on the said channel bottom portions, and a strip member, having its ends bent to clampingly engage the sides of the outermost elements of the series, the strip lying within the through openings to serve as a. key for preventing relative rotation between the pressed metal members and the .brush elements.

6. A rotary brush support comprising a pair of pressed metal members drawn and flanged to provide reinforced hub portions an'd an annular peripheral channel, portions of the flanges and the channel bottom portions being sheared out to provide through openings, a series of bristle elements having base rings embraced by the channel flanges and seated on the said channel bottom portions, a strip member having its ends bent to engage adjacent sides of the series as a clamp, said through openings being continued along the hub portions materially inwardly from the innermost surface of the channelvportion whereby the thickness of the clamping stri may vary in proportion to the number of e ements retained between a given pair of such rst mentioned pressed metal members. 7. A rotary brush comprising a series of ristle elements in superposed relation, and having annular base rings, sheet metal supporting members for the series comprisinf1r portions perforated to receive a shaft, an pressed outwardly to envage the shaft at materially spaced points, t e central portions bemg continued into cylindrical portions and inwardly bent flanges to receive and su port the elements, the flanges and cylindrical por tions being provided with through opemngs 1n respective registration, and there being combination key and clamping members lving in these through openings and tightly clamping against the bristle elements.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ailix my l signature.

LAWRENCE C. IIEROLD. 

